Life Ain't Always Beautiful
by CanUHandleMe441
Summary: The triplets are four now, Mason's 14. Basically the life of the King-Freedman's. Will upload and write more chapters if I get enough reviews and rates that shows that people are actually reading and enjoying.
1. Chapter 1

"Mama! Come on! We're gonna be late!" A 14 year old Mason called from the living room, his bookbag slung over his shoulder.

Cooper looked at his son, letting out a sigh. "You know, Mase, she'd probably get things done quicker if you'd help her." He told his son as he brought out three lunch boxes, one pink, one blue, and one green, setting them next to the corresponding backpack.

Mason just shook his head. "She's almost done. I went to get my iPod because Georgia took it and she was putting on their shoes." The teenager told his father, as the blonde came down the stairs, one toddler in her arms, two others following after her. "See?"

Charlotte set Caroline down on the ground, and picking up the triplets' backpacks. "Girls, can you get your lunchboxes?" She questioned, walking over to her husband. "I'll be back in a bit. I don't have to be at work until 10. You want something for breakfast?" Cooper just nodded before leaning in to give his wife a kiss.

"Sure. Just grab whatever you feel like." He told her after pulling away from her lips. "Good luck, honey. I love you."

Charlotte nodded, smiling at him. "I love you too." She said as she turned back around to face the girls and her son. "Alright, guys. Lets go." But, the second she said that, she turned back around to look at her husband. "Carseats?"

"In the Mercedes." He told her and Charlotte just nodded, walking outside with the kids and picking up each triplet, strapping them into their carseats. She put their backpacks in the trunk and handed them the bunnies that they'd had since they were newborns: Caroline's was pink, Rachel's was green, and Georgia's was blue, just like their backpacks and lunchboxes.

"Mama, I'm Hungry." Georgia told her mother and Charlotte sighed, realizing that they were in such a hurry that she forgot to feed them all breakfast. She looked over at Mason, who was already in the front seat, with his seatbelt on. God, was he a great kid.

Charlotte got into the driver's seat of the Mercedes, looking back at the kids. "You guys want McDonald's?" She questioned, and in unison, every child agreed. She wasn't big on fast food, but, she wasn't going to not feed them, before school and McDonald's was inexpensive and quick.

She drove to McDonald's, and surprisingly, all of the kids were quiet. It was probably because they were tired, considering that they were all up late, because Charlotte hadn't gotten home until ten PM, and dinner hadn't been done until 11. And by the time that all of the kids were fed, settled and in bed, it was at least midnight.

She ordered all of their kids' usuals, deciding that on her way back, she'd swing by and get food for her and Cooper, so that it would still be warm when she got home. "Mama, aren't you gonna eat?" Mason asked as Charlotte pulled up to the first window. Charlotte just shook her head, handing her credit card to the woman working the drive thru.

"Not now. I'm driving by on my way home so that your daddy's food is warm." Charlotte told her son, driving up to the second window, getting the bags of food and handing them to the kids. "Here, guys. You can take your time eating. I'm dropping Mason off first." She told the four-year olds in the back seat. "You got soccer practice today?"

Mason shook his head. "Not today. They canceled because the girls have a game today." The teenager told his mother, taking a bite of his sausage McMuffin. "Are you or dad gonna come get me?"

"Your daddy. You're gonna have to go to Seaside after, though. He doesn't get off of work until 6 and I'll be at the hospital until 9." Charlotte told him, starting to drive to his school. "I can't wait until you can drive. We'll get you a nice car and you can drive the girls to school. That'll be so much easier."  
"Hey, mama! Nobody said anything about driving them!" He laughed.

"I sure did." She smiled at him, pulling into the school parking lot, driving up and dropping Mason off. "I'll see you later tonight, babe." Charlotte lowered her voice, not wanting him to get embarrassed. "I love you."

The boy smiled, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Love you too, mama."

The blonde blew him a quick kiss before he closed the door of the Mercedes and Charlotte drove out of the parking lot and down the highway to the triplets' preschool, which was only a few miles from Mason's school. Once she got there, she shut off the car and got out, opening the back door and unbuckling each child from their carseats, picking them up and setting them down on the concrete. Once they were all out, stuffed bunnies in hand, Charlotte opened the trunk, getting their lunches and backpacks, and started to walk inside, her brood slowly walking behind her.

She checked the girls in and got down on her knees, kissing each and every one of them goodbye. "I love you three so so so much." Charlotte told them, pulling Georgia into her arms, her fingers running through her light blonde hair. "I'll see you three later tonight. Daddy's gonna pick you guys up, okay?"

The girls nodded, waving goodbye before running off to play with their friends. Charlotte turned around and walked out the door, unlocking the Mercedes and getting in, starting the car. On her way home, she stopped at McDonald's to get food for her and Cooper, and then twenty minutes later, pulled into the driveway.  
She got out of the car and walked inside, keys and drinks in her hands, and the bag of food tucked under her arm. "Coop, I'm back." She called, walking up the stairs, hearing the shower running in the bathroom. The blonde opened the door slowly, walking into the steam-filled bathroom. "Hey, I brought you McDonald's."

"Thanks..." Cooper mumbled. "You want to join me? I just got in, so, the water's warm." A shower actually sounded pretty nice. Especially with Cooper. The kids had kept them so busy over the winter break that had only ended a few days ago, that they hadn't had any alone time in weeks.

"I think I will." She told her husband, setting her car keys, the two large drinks, and the McDonald's bag on the counter, starting to undress from the tank top and sweatpants that she had been wearing. Once she'd gotten completely naked, she opened the shower door and stepped in, looking up at Cooper before shutting the door.

Cooper just smirked, eyeballing her body from head to toe, but, his eyes more focused on the middle part of her body. "Hey, there." He looked at her, placing his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him.

"Hey, yourself." She stood on her tip-toes, pressing her hips against his, kissing him slowly. They kissed under the falling water for a moment before pulling away from each other, both of them smiling.

"How was the ride? Any crying?"

"Not at all. We stopped at McDonald's before, 'cause I forgot to make breakfast."  
Cooper pouted. "Does that mean my food's cold?"

Charlotte shook her head. "No, it doesn't. I stopped and grabbed our food on my way home."

"Okay, good." He said, turning Charlotte around so that she was facing the front of the shower. He took the body wash and a loofa, putting the gel on it and started to rub it on Charlotte's back.

"Thanks." The blonde told her husband, closing her eyes as she used his free hand to massage her shoulders. God, it was like he read her mind. After he finished washing her, managing to manipulate her and allow himself to wash every part of her body, he pulled her back under the water and kissed her as the body gel fell down her body and into the drain.

After another few minutes of kissing, they pulled away from each other and Cooper turned off the water, getting out and grabbing another towel, throwing it to Charlotte. "I'm eating naked. I'm starving." He told her, laughing slightly as he grabbed the bag and a drink, walking into their bedroom. She shortly followed after, grabbing her drink off of the counter.

She met him in the bedroom, letting her towel fall as she sat on the bed next to Cooper, who's towel was laying next to him. He had already had his sandwich out, half-unwrapped. She rolled her eyes, taking her food out of the bag and starting to eat it. They ate in silence, considering how hungry they both were. Once they finished eating, Cooper looked over at the clock, and then turned to Charlotte.

"Two hours until you have to go to work...What could we possibly do with two hours?"


	2. Chapter 2

"How was school, kiddo?" Cooper asked his son, who had just gotten into the front seat of their Honda Odyssey. The teenager buckled his seatbelt and tossed his backpack into the back seat before looking at his father, shrugging slightly.

"Eh...It was alright, I guess. Pretty boring. But, it usually is." Mason told him, watching the road as Cooper started to drive to go get the girls. "Hey, dad...Before we go get the triplets, can we go get a milkshake? Just the two of us?"

Cooper looked at his son, smiling slightly before nodding. They hadn't gone out just the two of them in a really long time. "Yeah. That actually sounds like a really good idea. You want fries too?"

Mason nodded, smiling at him. "Always."

They got to the place where they'd always gotten strawberry shakes and french fries, the same place that Erica and them had gone when Cooper had first met Mason. They sat down, at the same table, and took the tops off of their shakes, dipping the fries into them, before eating them.

After a few minutes of silence, Cooper looked over at his son, who looked a bit upset. "You okay, Mase? You don't look very happy."

The teenager shrugged. "I miss mom."

"Well, she's only at the hos-Oh." He sighed, looking at the ground. "Yeah...I bet. It's that time of year again, isn't it?" Cooper asked, taking a sip of his milkshake.

Mason nodded, not able to eat, or drink, anymore. "Tomorrow." He told him, pushing the styrofoam cup away from him.

Cooper just looked at him, not saying a word. He hadn't realized that it had been so close to the anniversary of Erica dying. It had been 5 years, another thing that Cooper just couldn't believe. Mason had been a part of his life for 5 years. Sometimes, it seemed like much longer than that. Sometimes, it seemed like he had just met him yesterday. But, 5 years was an actual time, and he just couldn't believe that it had really been that long.

The rest of the time before they left to go to the girls' preschool, they were both silent, and Mason was looking really rough. But, Cooper didn't want to say anything. But, when they got to the preschool and Georgia ran up to Mason, wrapping her arms around his legs, Mason's entire mood had changed: he was 100% happy to see his sister, and you wouldn't think that twenty minutes earlier, he had been close to tears. "Hey, Sis."

"Hey, Mason!" The toddler said, smiling up at her older brother with the cutest baby teeth grin. Mason reached down, ruffling her hair before picking her up.

"Have fun today?"

The mini-Charlotte nodded her head vigorously. "Uh-huh!"

Mason smiled at her as the other two girls came up to him, both hugging his legs.

"Hey! What about dad?" Cooper asked, puckering out his bottom lip, looking at the children.

Caroline and Rachel laughed, looking at each other before running over to Cooper, wrapping their arms around him. Cooper smiled down at them, leaning down and kissing the top of both of their heads before signing the three of them out. "Alright, kiddos. Let's go." He told them, waving goodbye to the receptionist before walking outside, Rachel and Caroline toddling behind him, and Mason with Georgia still in his arms behind them.

Mason helped to get the girls back into their carseats, making sure that they were all securely strapped in. Cooper gave him a thumbs up before they both got into the car. "You guys have a fun day?"

All three of the girls shouted, "Yes!" at the same time, and both Cooper and Mason laughed. "What'd you guys do today?"

"I learned my ABC's!" Rachel shouted.

"Me too!" Caroline yelled.

"Alright, guys..Quiet down a bit, okay?" Cooper told them, turning his head, placing his pointer finger on his lips. "Did you guys? That's awesome! Why don't you tell them to me and mommy when she gets home?"

"Okay!" Once again, a response from all three girls. That was one of the bittersweet things about having triplets: they all happened to say the same thing at the same time.

"You learn anything brotheeeer?" Georgia asked, stretching out the last few letters of the word.

Mason laughed, shaking his head as he looked back toward his little sisters. "Not really. Just some new stuff in math." He tried to make it as simple as he possibly could. He wasn't really in the mood to try and explain trigonometry to three four year olds.

"That's cooooool." Georgia told him. That girl sure had a thing for stretching out her words.

Rachel stuck her tongue out. "Bleh. I hate math."

"Hey. Remember what I told you about saying the word hate." Cooper warned.

"Yeaaaaah, Rach. It's a meaaaan word!" The oldest of the sisters told him.

"Shut up, Georgia!"

"Daddyyyy!" Georgia complained.

Cooper just sighed, not taking his eyes off of the road. "Rachel, be nice. Georgia, you too."

Georgia pouted. "But I didn't do anythingggg!"

Nobody said anything after that, and the rest of the ride was peaceful and silent, Mason playing on his iPod, and the triplets in the back, playing with their stuffed bunnies.

When they got home, the Mercedes was parked in the driveway, and Cooper knew that Charlotte was home. And as he was taking the girls out, apparently, they knew too. "Mama's home!" Caroline cheered, running for the door, but, tripping and falling, scraping her knee.

The toddler let out a loud squeal and Cooper quickly set Georgia down on the ground, running over toward his daughter. "Shhh...It's okay. Don't cry. Let daddy take a look." He told her and the girl's loud screams had turned to a small whimper. She showed him her knee, which had a small scrape, and was bleeding. "It's okay, Caroline. I'll get it cleaned up and we'll put a bandaid on it, and it'll be as good as new." He told her, picking her up and taking her inside. "No more running, okay?" He turned back, facing all of the children. "And be quiet, guys. I'm not sure why mama's home, but, let me go make sure that she's not feeling sick, first."

The kids nodded and went off to their bedrooms, Cooper and Caroline going upstairs and into Cooper and Charlotte's room. Charlotte was laying on the bed, a bucket next to her, and a cold washcloth on her forehead. "Hey, babe...What's wrong?" He asked her, setting their daughter down on the edge of the bed, walking over to Charlotte's side and kissing her cheek.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I've been nauseous since this morning, and then right before lunch, I couldn't stop throwing up. So, I just came home...Then, I checked my temperature and I have a fever."

Cooper immediately jumped to the most obnoxious conclusion. "Are you late? Boobs tender?"

The blonde glared at him, no bit of happiness in her face. "That's not even something to joke about, Cooper."

"I'm not joking, Char. I'm dead serious."  
She shook her head. "I don't get my period, because the depo shot stops it. So, that should answer both of your questions, including the one that I know you're going to ask."

"Charlotte. You know from experience that birth control isn't 100% effective."

Charlotte sighed. "Cooper, I would know if I was pregnant. End of conversation."

"Take a test then."

"I am not taking a test, because I'm not pregnant! I can't be pregnant."

"Physically can't, or mentally can't?"

"Both!" She groaned. "I can't handle more kids. Four are enough. And my body can't handle more kids."

Cooper looked her straight in the face. "I want you to take a test. To be sure."

"If that'll make you shut up about it, fine, I'll do it."

"Thank you."

Charlotte looked over at their daughter, smiling as she pulled her into her arms. "Hey, baby." She kissed her cheek and looked at her, raising an eyebrow when she noticed the tear in her jeans and the blood surrounding. "What the hell happened?" She asked. She was definitely a mama bear when it came to her kids.

"She just fell. She was running to the door, tripped, and fell." Cooper explained, going into their bathroom to get stuff to clean it with.

The blonde watched him walk away, keeping her eyes on him. "What'd she trip on?"

Cooper didn't answer until he came back. "I think it was her own feet, honestly. There wasn't anything on the driveway." He took a wet cloth and gently rubbed it over his daughter's knee, wiping up the blood. Caroline whimpered, moving back into her mother. "Shhh, it's okay, baby. I know it hurts." He told her, getting a cotton ball and putting peroxide on it.

"Is that gonna burn?!" The toddler asked, tears in her eyes. She had had experience with alcohol on a few of her cuts, and, man, did that burn.

He shook his head. "No, it's not. It'll bubble. The bubbles look cool." Smiling, he gently rubbed the cottom ball over the scrape and Caroline watched in amazement as it started to bubble.

"Cool!" She shouted and both Charlotte and Cooper laughed. Cooper took a bandaid, pink, of course, and put it over the scrape before smiling up at his daughter.

"There you go. Good as new." He told her, smiling as he picked her up, setting her on the ground. She ran off and down the hallway, into her bedroom.

Cooper looked at his wife, sitting down next to her. "You want me to go pick up a test?" He questioned, placing a hand on the side of her face.  
"Whatever floats your boat, Cooper."

"Charlotte..." He sighed, but didn't continue with what he wanted to say. "Are you gonna be okay with them while I'm gone? Since you don't feel good?"

"I'll be-" She was cut off and her face got pale for a second before she leaned over the bucket beside her, vomitting into it. Cooper reached over, holding her hair back with one hand, and caressing her lower back with the other one. "...Fine." Charlotte mumbled after a few minutes of puking.

Cooper frowned, shaking his head. "Okay. I'll get you some medicine while I'm out." He knew better than to argue with her. It never did any good.  
She nodded and he left the room, warning the kids to be good before he left the house.

Half an hour later, Cooper came back in, a plastic bag in his hand. He set the bag on the bed, sitting down next to her. "Here, my love. A pregnancy test, and a bottle of Pepto Bismol to stop the nausea."

"Thanks, Cooper." Charlotte told him, standing up, taking the test and walking into the bathroom. She opened up the box and pulled out the test, pulling down her pajama pants and her panties, sitting on the toilet and peeing on the stick. She got up, pulling up her pants and set the test on the counter, staring at the clock.

When the three minutes were up, she looked down at the test and picked it up, walking back into the bedroom. "Cooper..."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This isn't very eventful. I'm sorry. The next one will be a bit better, I promise. **

"What is it?" Cooper questioned, sitting up straight, eyeballing his wife. He noticed the look on her face and he was pretty sure he knew what the result was.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" He tried to look worried, upset, but the truth was, even with four kids already, he wouldn't mind another one.

Charlotte shook her head. "No. It's negative." She told him, walking over and handing him the test, which had one pink line across it. "Thank God." She mumbled and Cooper handed the text back, nodding slightly as Georgia came running into the room. Charlotte turned quickly, placing the text on the dresser. She didn't want to have to answer questions if Georgia saw it and asked what it was.

"Mamaaaa! Rachel hit meeee!" She complained, her loud voice filling the room.

Immediately after she said that, her sister ran in. "I did not!" Rachel yelled, stomping on the bedroom floor. Typical day. How could the two of them think that there would not be at least one triplet fight today.

"Hey, hey, you two. Calm down with the yelling and the fighting. Mama doesn't feel good." Cooper told the girls. "Now, no more hitting, okay?" He told them and they both nodded, looking at their father.

"Sorry, daddy."

"Sorry, mamaaa."

The girls apologized and Charlotte just smiled. "It's okay, guys. Just no fighting, okay? It's not nice." She told them, using her hand to motion for them to come over to her.

The two girls walked over to her, climbing into bed with their mother, practically lying on top of her. "I love you two. So much."

Rachel grinned from ear to ear. "I love you too, mama!"' She told her, planting a big, wet kiss on her mom's cheek.

"I wuv you, mamaaaaa!" Georgia told her, and they both wrapped their tiny arms around her, in the best way that they could. Charlotte looked down at them, a smile on her face. Yeah, they were two of the most adorable four things that she'd ever seen in her life. But, she wasn't ready to handle another adorable little thing. Not now, not ever.

Cooper looked at her. "I'm gonna go talk to Mase...He's a bit shooken up. It's been 5 years since...you know."

Her eyes widened and she looked him straight in the eye. "5 years? Really? Already?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow. "That's insane...Feels like just yesterday, we got 'im." God, had it really been 5 years? That was crazy.

"I know it does...I feel the same way. I just, I feel so bad for him. He shouldn't have to put up with this...To be reminded of it every single year."

"Cooper, that kid is reminded of it every time that he comes home to me and you, and not to his mama: the same person that he'd come home to every day for the first nine years of his life. He is reminded of it every day. It just hits harder this time of year." Charlotte let out a sigh. "Maybe we should take him to dinner. Do something to get his mind off of it."

Cooper nodded, taking her hand and squeezing it. "I know this is hard. I know that this is reminding you that you're not his real mom...But, you are his mama. And you're doing a fantastic job at being his mama. You are being the greatest parent to him that you can be. You don't treat him any different because he's not your biological child, you treat him the exact same as the triplets. And that is the best thing that you can do, Charlotte. And I am so damn proud of you for doing that. I am so damn proud of you for so many things." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Charlotte King. So much."

"I love you too, Coop. And, thank you. That means so much." She smiled at him, standing up and getting out of bed. "I think I'll try and go do somethin' productive. Maybe clean the livin' room...Try to help Mase with some homework." She tried to walk away, but Cooper reached over, grabbing her waist and pulling her back down onto the bed.

"You're not going anywhere, unless we go out to dinner. You can go to dinner, then. But, you're sick, so, you're staying in bed." He smiled, kissing the top of her head. "I'll go check on the kids. You take your medicine, and I'll come back in here and watch some TV with you in a little bit."

He got up, and walked into the hallway, going to check on the kids. The triplets were all laughing from their bedroom and Cooper walked in, smiling at the girls. "Hey, guys. Watcha playing?"

"Dollies!" Rachel yelled, laughing as she held the doll up next to Georgia's doll. "You wanna play, daddy?"

Cooper nodded, getting down on his knees and picking up a doll, playing with them for a while until Mason walked in. "Hey, dad. Can you come help me practice for my soccer game?" He asked.

Georgia started pouting, not wanting her father to leave, but, he stood up anyway. "'course. Hey, you three...Be good. Mommy's not feeling well, and I don't want you guys acting up, okay?"

The triplets nodded, smiling at their father. "Yes, daddyyyyy." Georgia said, blowing him a kiss. "I love youuuuuu!"

"I love you too, baby doll." He told her before going outside with Mason, grabbing the soccer ball out of the laundry room and carrying it outside, dropping it on the ground. Mason ran out to the other side of the yard and Cooper kicked the ball to him. They kicked it back and forth for about a half an hour before Charlotte came out and smiled, watching the two of them.

"You two hungry? 'cause I'm up for goin' out to dinner if you two want to."

Mason smiled, capturing the ball under his foot. "Yeah! That sounds awesome!"

Charlotte just smiled. "Then go upstairs and get ready, bud. You get to pick where we go, okay?" She told him and Mason ran past her, running inside and up the stairs.

"He sounds excited." Cooper told his wife, smiling as he walked over to her, kissing her cheek. "Thanks. That'll make him happy."

"I'll go get the girls, okay?" Charlotte told him, smiling as she turned around, walking up the stairs, going to get the girls changed and ready. She picked out their outfits and got them into them, and then brushed their hair, pulling it all back into ponytails. "Alright, girls. Come on. Let's go, okay?"

The girls followed after Charlotte, who walked downstairs, waiting for Cooper and Mason. When they both came down, Charlotte grabbed the keys to the minivan off of the table and tossed them to Cooper. "You two ready?"

"Yes!" Cooper said, excitedly, and Charlotte laughed, shaking her head. Cooper picked up Rachel, Mason picked up Caroline, and Charlotte got Rachel, all of them walking outside and putting the girls in their carseats. Charlotte got into the front seat, Mason in the back, and Cooper got into the driver's seat. He drove them to Texas Roadhouse, where Mason had decided he wanted to go for dinner.

Dinner had lasted about two hours, but, Mason knew exactly why they were taking him out to dinner. He knew that they were just trying to make him feel better and do something to keep his mind off of it, but, his mind was on his mother the entire time. The only time that he spoke at all was to order, which consisted of about three total words.

The ride home was silent, considering that the girls were sleeping and Mason refused to talk. Charlotte and Cooper didn't have anything to say, considering that everything that they wanted to say was about Mason. They got home and they each took one of the girls in, putting them in bed. Mason went off to his room without a word and Charlotte looked at Cooper, who just shrugged.

"Poor kid." She mumbled, going off to lay down. Cooper followed her and they laid in bed for a few minutes, in each others arms, kissing each other lightly as the sound of the TV played in the background. There was a knock on the door and Charlotte looked at it. "Come on."

The door opened and Mason walked in, a blanket and a pillow in his hand. It was obvious that he wasn't going to say anything, so, Cooper scooted over toward the edge of the bed, and nodded. "Alright, bud. You can come sleep with us." He told him and the teenager walked over, climbing into bed between Charlotte and Cooper. Charlotte reached over, running her fingers through her son's hair.

"Goodnight, Mason. I love you." She told him.

"Night, Mase. Love you." Cooper said.

There was no response, just the movement beside them when Mason rolled over, trying to get comfortable. Charlotte sighed, not saying a word. She just hoped that this was nowhere near as bad as the last time that Mason had refused to talk to them.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all soooooo much for the reviews! I really appreciate them. More reviews and views is what'll keep me goin'! Let me know what you all would like to see next :)**

Charlotte woke up around 4 AM, stretching and wondering why the hell she was up this early. She felt something wet under her thigh, and sat up, pulling the blanket off of her and Mason. She looked down to see a huge wet spot under her son, and she sighed, reaching over and tapping Cooper's arm. "Coop...Cooper..." She mumbled and after a few seconds, he slowly sat up and opened his eyes.

"Hmm?" He questioned, and his wife looked down at their son. Cooper moved the blanket slightly to see what she was talking about, and when he noticed he let out a small sigh. "Mason..." He gently patted his son's back, trying to wake him up. He moved his face down closer to him. "Mason...you gotta get up, buddy." He told him, nudging the teenager a bit more.

As he started to wake up, Charlotte took the pillow that he had his arm around and he stretched his arms out, feeling the spot under him. When he did, his body shot back into Cooper and he looked at the sheet, disgusted.

"It's okay. It happens." Cooper told his son, gently rubbing his belly.

"It's alright. I can get it taken care of." Charlotte reached over, rubbing Mason's leg. "What don't you go clean yourself up?" Mason looked up at her, frowning slightly before he got out of bed, avoiding the spot at all costs.

"Want me to give you a hand?" Cooper questioned, touching his back, helping him to get out of bed, but Mason just ignored him.

Charlotte handed him his pillow when he walked past her, smiling slightly at the teenager. "Here you go, babe." He walked away, looking back at the bed and frowning once more before turning back, going down the hallway and into his bedroom.

"Alright...I'll help you, uh, strip the bed..." Cooper told his wife, pushing the blanket off of him and getting out of bed.

The blonde followed shortly after. "I am not the one who needs help." She mumbled, taking the corner of the sheet and pulling it off. Cooper took the top left corner and pulled it off, letting out a sigh as Charlotte took the comforter, tossing it into the corner of their bedroom.

Cooper looked at Charlotte, taking off the sheets and throwing them with the comforter. "Should we sleep on the couch?"

Charlotte shook her head, taking the last sheet off of the bed and tossing it over with everything else. "Wait until we find out if Mase is comin' back in here, first." She told her husband, walking out into the hallway, getting new sheets and a new comforter. "Can ya get me a towel, babe?" She questioned.

Cooper nodded, going into their bathroom and grabbing a towel, bringing it back and tossing it to her. "Here." He told her, watching her fold up the towel and placing it over the spot on the bed before putting the sheets back on. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go tell Mase that he can come back in here if he wants to."

Charlotte nodded and Cooper left the room, going down the hall. The hallway light was still on and Mason's door was wide open. Mason was in bed when Cooper walked in, standing in the doorway. "Mase? Are you awake?" He hadn't expected an answer, and he didn't receive one either. "If you want to, you can still come and sleep with me and mama." He still didn't get a response, so, he assumed that he was asleep.

He went back into his and Charlotte's room, walking over to Charlotte, who was laying the blanket over their bed. "He's sleeping." He told her. "Couch it is?" He questioned and she nodded, grabbing her pillow and walking out of their room. Cooper grabbed his pillow and the comforter, following her out.

"You want to sleep on the inside or on the outside?" Cooper asked his wife, setting his pillow down on the couch.

Charlotte set hers down next to his. "I'll sleep on the inside. It'll give ya more room." She told him, laying down on the couch, moving as far into it as she could. Cooper draped the blanket over her before climbing in next to her, wrapping an arm around her small body. "We need to do somethin' about Mason..." The blonde mumbled, snuggling into her husband's body.

"I know...He's doing the exact same thing that he did when Erica first died. Everything. Not talking, sleeping in our bed, wetting the bed..." He sighed. "Maybe he needs to see a therapist..."

The blonde shook her head. "Don't go that far...Not yet. It may end up makin' things worse." She turned her head slightly, looking at him. "I just hope it's another phase and he gets over it soon. I thought that we handled everything so well the first time. I didn't expect it to happen again..."

"It's okay, babe. We'll figure something out, okay? Now, get back to sleep. It won't be long until we have to take the kids to school." He ran a hand through her long blonde hair, kissing her lips softly. "I love you, honey."

"I love you too." She told him, turning her head to face the couch, closing her eyes and almost immediately falling asleep. Cooper watched her for a few minutes, smiling as she slept, snoring quietly.

The sun shone in through the living room windows around 7AM, and Charlotte opened her eyes, sighing as she realized that it was time for her to get up. She sat up and tried to get off of the couch without waking Cooper, but, it didn't work too well. As she stood over him, Cooper reached out, grabbing her and pulling her back on top of him. "Where do you think you're going?" He questioned, smirking at her.

"Home. My husband will think I was out cheating on him if I don't get home before he wakes up." She smirked, and Cooper just smiled. God, he loved roleplaying. Especially early in the morning.

Cooper raised an eyebrow. "But, you were cheating on him."

The blonde shrugged. "He doesn't know that."

"Leave him. I'm better than him anyway."

Charlotte laughed, rolling her eyes. "You're too cute." She told him, leaning down and kissing his lips. He held her, smiling at her as she pulled away. "Now, if you excuse me. I'm off to go wake up your spawn."

He didn't let her go, just held her tight, watching her struggle to get out of his grip. "I need another kiss. This time with tongue."

She smirked, leaning back in, kissing him, this time letting her tongue slip into his mouth. His hands gripped her ass and her hand reached down, grabbing him through his boxers. A small groan escaped his lips and she pulled away from him, her lips forming a small smile.

"You can't just tease me like that." He told her, puckering out his bottom lip.

"I'm not teasin'. After the kids get to school, you'll get your fair share."

"That's all I ask." He told her, unwrapping his arms from her and letting her go. She got off of him and off of the couch, wandering down the hallway and into the triplets' room.

"Girls? Time to get up." Charlotte said, turning on the light. A few groans came from the beds and Charlotte just smiled, standing in the doorway. "If you guys hurry up, I'll make pancakes." That definitely caught their attention, because immediately, all three kids shot up, getting out of bed. "Alright, guys. Make your beds, go brush your teeth, and I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

The triplets nodded and Charlotte turned around, going into Mason's room. She walked over to his bed, kneeling down and tapping his shoulder. "Hey, babe..." He rolled over and opened his eyes slightly. She thought for a second before shaking her head. "Nevermind, Mase. Go back to sleep. You can stay home today."

The blonde left his bedroom, closing the door slightly. But right after she did, Mase got up and opened it again. She looked back, mumbled, "Love you.", but didn't get an answer. She knew that she wouldn't, anyway. Looking into the bathroom, she saw that all three girls were standing on their step-stools, each of them their favorite color, and brushing their teeth. She walked back into the living room, sitting on the couch next to Cooper.

"I told Mase that he could stay home today...I'm off work, so I figured, I can stay here with him. He just needs some time." She mumbled and Cooper nodded, wrapping an arm around her.

"I only have a house call. Just got the page. I'll drop the girls off on my way, and I should be back by around 10." He kissed her lips, holding her close to him. "I'll go start breakfast."

Charlotte kissed him back, smiling against his lips. "I promised them pancakes." She told him as she got up, going to meet the girls in their bedroom. She got out an outfit for each of them, laying them on the bed. When the girls came back in, she grabbed Rachel, kissing her cheek as she pulled her into her arms. "Hey, cutie. You ready to go to school?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nah-uh! I wanna stay wif mama!"

"Well, you gotta go to school, baby. Maybe mama will let you stay home sometime next week when I'm not workin'." She didn't want to tell them that Mason wasn't going to school, or they'd throw a fit. She knew that for sure. She set the toddler down, handing her the clothes that she had picked out for her. "Here, baby. I'll help you get dressed." She told her, pulling her Dora the Explorer pajama top off, tossing it into the dirty laundry. She took the white shirt that she had picked out for her and put it on her before taking off her pajama pants and replacing them with a pair of jeans. "Alright, who's next?"

Georgia toddled over to her, smiling as she wrapped her arms around Charlotte. "Meeeee!" Her mother laughed, undressing her and replacing her clothes with a long sleeved black shirt and just like Rachel, a pair of jeans. Caroline was next and Charlotte changed her out of her Strawberry Shortcake pajamas and into jeans and a pink t-shirt.

"There you go, you three. Now come with mama into the bathroom so I can brush your hair. By then, your daddy should have breakfast ready. If not, I'll go ahead and put your socks and shoes on." The girls followed her into the bathroom and Charlotte grabbed the hair brush, running it through Georgia's blonde hair, which was shorter than Caroline's and Rachel's. She had wanted it cut so that she looked 'just like mama'. Charlotte pulled it back into a ponytail before going on to Caroline and then Rachel, just brushing it through for the two of them. They hated having their hair pulled up.

Charlotte picked up Georgia, carrying her out into the kitchen, followed by Rachel and Caroline. "You done yet, babe?" Charlotte asked, looking at Cooper, who just shook his head.

"Give me five more minutes?"

"'course. I'll go get their shoes on and then we'll be back." She smiled, taking the girls into the living room, setting Georgia on the couch. She walked over to the door, grabbing their shoes and carrying them back, setting them on the table. "I'll be right back. Gonna go grab you three some socks. You behave, ya hear?" She raised an eyebrow, smiling at her mini-Charlottes.

"I want pink!"

"Blue, please, mama!"

"Green!"

Charlotte just laughed. She had already known exactly what colors they'd want. That wasn't too hard to figure out. She came back down, one pair of blue socks, one pair of pink socks, and one pair of green socks. "Now, who gets which ones?" She questioned, teasing the triplets.  
"Mamaaaa. I get blueeee, remember?!" Georgia told her, swinging her feet over the edge of the couch.

"Oh! That's right." Charlotte smiled, taking the pair of blue socks and separating them before putting them on the girl's feet. "And who has the pink socks?"

Caroline sat up quickly. "Me, mama!" She stuck her feet out toward Charlotte, who took the socks and put them on her.

"And the green ones must be my little Rachel's..." The blonde took the socks and put them on her third daughter's feet before putting on all of their shoes: Nikes that were each in their favorite colors.

She took the girls out to the kitchen, helping them up to sit at the kitchen table as she helped Cooper make plates, bringing them over to the kids. "Here you go, guys. Don't get too dirty." She told them, smiling as she walked over to Cooper. "You better get goin' when they're done or they'll be late."

Cooper nodded. "I know. Good luck with Mason."

"We'll be fine." Charlotte told him, smiling as she looked over at the girls. "He's just in a tough place right now. I might take him out for ice cream. Maybe I'll wait for you and we can all go see a movie."

Cooper shrugged. "We know how well trying to get his mind off of it worked."

"Yeah...I guess you're right. We'll have to figure something out, though." Charlotte told him, starting to clean up the kitchen. By the time that she finished, the girls were done eating and Cooper kissed Charlotte's cheek, smiling as he took the girls and left. Once she finished washing the dishes, she walking into Mason's room, standing in the doorway. "Hey, babe."

Mason opened his eyes, looking at her. "You wanna come lay in bed with me? I'm goin' back to sleep, but maybe you can watch some Pokemon. Your daddy's not here, so it'll just be you and me." The teenager hesitated for a moment but eventually got up, grabbing his pillow and his dinosaur, the same one that he'd had since he was nine, and carried it into Charlotte and Cooper's room, getting in on Cooper's side of the bed.

Charlotte handed him the remote, getting into bed next to him. "If you need anything, just wake me up, okay, buddy? You don't even have to talk. Just write it down. Text it to me. I don't care." She leaned over, kissing the top of his head. "I love you."

Mason nodded and turned the channel, trying to find Pokemon. Charlotte rolled over, falling asleep. Mason had eventually fallen asleep and when Cooper got home, he walked in, smiled at the two and left. When Charlotte woke up around noon, Mason was gone. She looked over at her nightstand, noticing the LED on her phone lighting up. She reached for it, expecting it to be the hospital. When she unlocked it, she noticed that it was a text message. She opened it to see that it was from 4 hours ago, right before she'd fallen asleep.

"Mason Freedman: I love you too, mama."


End file.
